The jury that convicted her of first-degree murder earlier this month in the brutal killing of her ex-boyfriend were unable to decide whether to give the death penalty.

Members of the Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to allow gay members.

The partisan war over judicial nominees has accelerated in recent years. It took nearly a year to win Senate confirmation for Sri Srinivasan to the important federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, though he had no formal opposition.

The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America has voted to allow gay Scout members, but to continue a ban on openly gay adult Scout leaders. The policy change would take effect Jan. 1, 2014.

Lois Lerner has been at the center of a scandal over the tax agency's targeting of conservative groups.

The congressman says he will step down in August to take a senior position at the University of Alabama.

Officials are forecasting that hurricane activity will be "above normal" this season, with 13 to 20 named storms. As many as six of those could be major hurricanes. Warm ocean waters and the lack of El Nino conditions are partly to blame.

There were hugs and tears, smiles and laughter on Thursday, as students and teachers from Plaza Towers Elementary School, destroyed in Monday's tornado in Moore, Okla., reunited. The school district reopened all of its schools just for the day on what would have been the final day of classes before summer vacation.

Abortion opponents are hoping the recent murder conviction of Pennsylvania abortion provider Kermit Gosnell will lead to more scrutiny of second trimester abortions. They're working on a bill that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy — nationwide.

Rep. Marcia Fudge, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, says any immigration overhaul significantly boosting the numbers of highly skilled immigrants could negatively affect African-Americans with similar skills.

At nearly seven miles below the water's surface, the Mariana Trench is the deepest spot in Earth's oceans. And the site north of Guam is where director and explorer James Cameron fulfilled a longtime goal of reaching the bottom in a manned craft.

The Supreme Court justice and noted Yankees fan showed her baseball acumen Wednesday while presiding over a re-enactment of the 1972 case that challenged the sport's antitrust exemption.

The state is turning down an estimated $100 billion in federal funds that would have paid for health care coverage for more than 1 million poor Texans. For Gov. Rick Perry and the state's Republican-dominated Legislature, the potential appearance of supporting "Obamacare" was too much.

In a major speech, the president rejects the idea that the country can fight an opened-ended "global war on terror." In setting his own guidelines, he defines the standards for using drone strikes and again calls for closing the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., Monday destroyed some 12,000 homes, according to Oklahoma City Police. And for one family, it was the second house they've lost to a tornado in the past 14 years. Rena and Paul Phillips say that the recent loss won't make them move.

In August, Hurricane Isaac's 12-foot storm surge plowed through cemeteries in Plaquemines Parish, ripping tombs off their foundations and displacing the remains of almost 200 people. About 60 are still unidentified, and at least one is missing.

Forecasters predict as many as six major hurricanes in the Atlantic this year due in part to warmer-than-average ocean temperatures.

Over the years, McDonald's has gotten a lot of flack for marketing to kids. At a shareholders meeting Thursday morning, Hannah Robertson, age 9, took the fast-food giant's CEO to task.

In a major speech on counterterrorism on Thursday, President Obama said the war on terror has changed and U.S. policy must be adjusted. He promised to be more forthcoming about the government's targeted killing program for terrorism suspects, and said he was open to talking to Congress about ways to review the use of weaponized drones. Carrie Johnson talks to Melissa Block about the evolving drone policy.

In Moore, Okla., cleanup continues from Monday's tornado. One family is debating what to do next. The tornado destroyed the Phillips' home that they built after the 1999 tornado destroyed their previous one.